British police have arrested a 17-year-old suspect after at least eight people, including children, were attacked with a knife in a town in northwest England.
Eyewitnesses told local media that they saw paramedics giving first aid to bloodied children at the scene.
According to Merseyside Police, armed officers arrested the suspect and seized a knife in Southport, north of Liverpool. Authorities do not believe the incident is terror-related and are not looking for any other suspects. The arrested teenager is from Banks, a village near Southport.
“At this early stage inquiries are continuing to establish the motive for this tragic incident and we urge the public not to speculate,” police said.
The local ambulance service said eight injured people were taken to three different hospitals, including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Several media outlets reported that the attack took place at a venue where a music and dance event for children, themed to songs by Taylor Swift, was in progress. A strong police force was deployed in the area and residents of the street were asked to remain in their homes.
One young man, who did not give his name, said he and his mother were shocked by what happened “It’s not something you expect to see in Southport,” he commented.
Colin Parry, a shopkeeper on the same street, told Britain’s PA news agency that he witnessed a scene reminiscent of a “horror movie” and saw mothers running screaming towards the venue. Bhair Varathan, another trader, said he saw “seven to ten children” outside the building who were “injured and bleeding”.
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